1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of carpentry and construction trades, and more particularly relates to a chalk line marking devices, which enable a skilled tradesman such as a carpenter to simply, easily, and effectively mark straight work lines quickly and accurately upon a variety of surfaces.
2. Background Information
In the building construction industry, it is often necessary to provide a straight line as a guide for performing tasks such as cutting large pieces of material like sheetrock or plywood, nailing down flooring over floor joists, placing shingles upon a roof or laying flooring over a surface. One of the most common ways in which a straight line is marked in these situations is with a chalkline.
A chalk line is typically a string connected to a reel, which is held within a housing. This reel winds the string and is typically configured to allow the string to be pulled off of the reel and then rewound back on to the reel. The string is coated with chalk dust that is usually poured into the housing and applied to the string as the string is pulled out of and then retracted back into the housing upon the reel.
To use a chalk line to mark a line for a desired purpose, the line is unwound from within the reel and stretched between two marked points. A part of the chalk line somewhere between the two points is then raised and released quickly. This action called snapping. When the chalk line is snapped, the chalk from the line is deposited upon the surface. The string can then be rewound and a temporary line remains upon the surface. This line can then be utilized as a guide in performing the desired actions.
In order for the chalk line to mark an appropriate line, the two ends of the line must be fixed in their respective locations so as to anchor the line while tension is applied. If one of the anchor ends is not firmly positioned, the chalk will not deposit upon a straight line and a number of undesirable consequences may result. This includes smearing of the chalk upon the device, errant lines, and other problems. While a variety of features for these devices have been created, devices for chalk lines have been created. The major draw backs of these inventions is that depending upon the circumstances a carpenter may not be able to appropriately anchor a distant end of the chalk line. As a result, he cannot always hold the chalk line in the desired position, stretch the chalk line, and snap the chalk line.
A chalk line is a tool that may be used in a variety of circumstances. Therefore, the matter of anchoring the chalk line may not always be the same for all circumstances. For example, in some instances, such as rough carpentry, a nail can be driven at one point and the chalk line then tied or otherwise fastened to the nail, the string can then be stretched and snapped. However, in other instances the placement of a nail is not always desired. In such an instance, a grasping device may be desired to simply grasp the edge of the surface upon which the mark is to be made. One way that seems to work in nearly all situations is to simply call another individual over to hold the distant end of the chalk line at the desired position. This method however, is time consuming, inefficient and in instances where a carpenter or framer is working alone, simply impossible.
There does not exist, to the knowledge of the applicant, an anchor for a chalk line device that will allow the user to variously select different types of attachment means to anchor a distant end of a chalk line. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an anchor for a chalk line with provides various means of anchoring the chalk line to a surface to be marked. Furthermore, an additional object of the invention is to provide an anchor for a chalk line that can be selectively utilized to vary the position or the type of attachment device to be used, according to the needs of the user. Another object of the present invention is to provide a chalk line with a novel anchoring device, which can be used on a variety of different types of surfaces according to the necessities and needs of a user. Various embodiments of the present invention satisfy these and other needs.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.